Women have served in state legislatures in the United States since 1895. Their ranks have increased with the advent of nationwide women's suffrage after 1920. Although the number of women serving in state legislatures has more than quintupled since 1971, [2] they remain underrepresented. In 2023, women held less than half of the seats in state legislatures across the majority of states. [3] Specifically, seven states —Oklahoma (19.2%), Louisiana (19.4%), Alabama (17.4%), South Carolina (14.8%), Mississippi (14.5%), Tennessee (14.4%), and West Virginia (11.9%)— had legislatures where women occupied less than 20% of the seats. [3]
Location | Rank | Senate | Senate ratio | House | House ratio | Overall ratio | Overall percent |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | 46 | 3D, 1R | 4/35 | 10D, 10R | 20/105 | 24/140 | 17.1 |
Alaska | 25 | 2D, 3R | 5/20 | 7D, 6R, 2Ind | 15/40 | 20/60 | 33.3 |
Arizona | 2 | 11D, 5R | 16/30 | 20D, 9R | 29/60 | 45/90 | 50.0 |
Arkansas | 43 | 2D, 3R | 5/35 | 10D, 16R | 26/100 | 31/135 | 23.0 |
California | 11 | 15D, 3R | 18/40 | 27D, 5R | 32/80 | 50/120 | 41.7 |
Colorado | 3 | 11D, 2R | 13/35 | 30D, 5R | 35/65 | 48/100 | 48.0 |
Connecticut | 16 | 10D, 2R | 12/36 | 39D, 19R | 58/151 | 70/187 | 37.4 |
Delaware | 20 | 8D, 0R | 8/21 | 14D, 0R | 14/41 | 22/62 | 35.5 |
Florida | 12 | 7D, 9R | 16/40 | 25D, 15R | 50/120 | 66/160 | 41.3 |
Georgia | 21 | 14D, 2R | 16/56 | 46D, 19R | 65/180 | 81/236 | 34.3 |
Hawaii | 18 | 8D, 0R | 8/25 | 18D, 2R | 20/51 | 28/76 | 36.8 |
Idaho | 30 | 4D, 7R | 11/35 | 5D, 16R | 21/70 | 32/105 | 30.5 |
Illinois | 10 | 20D, 5R | 25/59 | 43D, 6R | 49/118 | 74/177 | 41.8 |
Indiana | 38 | 3D, 7R | 10/50 | 15D, 16R | 31/100 | 41/150 | 27.3 |
Iowa | 35 | 8D, 7R | 15/50 | 16D, 13R | 29/100 | 44/150 | 29.3 |
Kansas | 32 | 7D, 10R | 17/40 | 17D, 16R | 33/125 | 50/165 | 30.3 |
Kentucky | 31 | 4D, 5R | 9/38 | 15D, 18R | 33/100 | 42/138 | 30.4 |
Louisiana | 42 | 2D, 3R | 5/39 | 11D, 18R | 29/105 | 34/144 | 23.6 |
Maine | 7 | 11D, 3R | 14/35 | 48D, 19R | 67/151 | 81/186 | 43.5 |
Maryland | 9 | 14D, 1R | 15/47 | 57D, 7R | 64/141 | 79/188 | 42.0 |
Massachusetts | 29 | 11D, 0R | 11/40 | 46D, 4R, 1Ind | 51/160 | 62/200 | 31.0 |
Michigan | 14 | 12D, 3R | 15/38 | 31D, 12R | 43/110 | 58/148 | 39.2 |
Minnesota | 17 | 19D, 3R | 22/67 | 36D, 17R | 53/134 | 75/201 | 37.3 |
Mississippi | 47 | 2D, 7R | 9/52 | 7D, 9R, 2Ind | 18/122 | 27/174 | 15.5 |
Missouri | 36 | 5D, 7R | 12/34 | 28D, 17R | 45/163 | 57/197 | 28.9 |
Montana | 26 | 10D, 4R | 14/50 | 15D, 19R | 34/100 | 48/150 | 32.0 |
Nebraska | 19 | 18NP | 18/49 | n/a | unicameral | 18/49 | 36.7 |
Nevada | 1 | 9D, 4R | 13/21 | 20D, 5R | 25/42 | 38/63 | 60.3 |
New Hampshire | 15 | 7D, 5R | 12/24 | 101D, 49R | 150/400 | 162/424 | 38.2 |
New Jersey | 24 | 8D, 2R | 10/40 | 25D, 6R | 31/80 | 41/120 | 34.2 |
New Mexico | 6 | 10D, 1R | 11/42 | 31D, 7R | 38/70 | 49/112 | 43.8 |
New York | 21 | 17D, 3R | 20/63 | 50D, 3R | 53/150 | 73/213 | 34.3 |
North Carolina | 34 | 13D, 4R | 17/50 | 24D, 9R | 33/120 | 50/170 | 29.4 |
North Dakota | 41 | 1D, 7R | 8/47 | 9D, 18R | 27/94 | 35/141 | 24.8 |
Ohio | 37 | 3D, 5R | 8/33 | 13D, 17R | 30/99 | 38/132 | 28.8 |
Oklahoma | 45 | 5D, 5R | 10/48 | 10D, 9R | 19/101 | 29/149 | 19.5 |
Oregon | 13 | 7D, 2R | 9/30 | 18D, 10R | 28/60 | 37/90 | 41.1 |
Pennsylvania | 26 | 8D, 9R | 17/50 | 37D, 27R | 64/203 | 81/253 | 32.0 |
Rhode Island | 8 | 14D, 2R | 16/38 | 30D, 3R | 33/75 | 49/113 | 43.4 |
South Carolina | 49 | 1D, 3R, 1Ind | 5/46 | 8D, 12R | 20/124 | 25/170 | 14.7 |
South Dakota | 39 | 2D, 5R | 7/35 | 4D, 17R | 21/70 | 28/105 | 26.7 |
Tennessee | 48 | 5D, 3R | 8/33 | 3D, 9R | 12/99 | 20/132 | 15.2 |
Texas | 33 | 4D, 4R | 8/31 | 32D, 14R | 46/150 | 54/181 | 29.8 |
Utah | 40 | 5D, 2R | 7/29 | 8D, 12R | 20/75 | 27/104 | 26.0 |
Vermont | 5 | 12D, 0R | 12/30 | 58D, 9R, 2Ind | 69/150 | 81/180 | 45.0 |
Virginia | 21 | 11D, 3R | 14/40 | 27D, 7R | 34/100 | 48/140 | 34.3 |
Washington | 4 | 15D, 5R | 20/49 | 35D, 12R | 47/98 | 67/147 | 45.6 |
Washington, D.C. | N/A | 4D, 1Ind | 5/13 | n/a | unicameral | 5/13 | 38.5 |
West Virginia | 50 | 0D, 4R | 4/34 | 2D, 11R | 13/100 | 17/134 | 12.7 |
Wisconsin | 28 | 5D, 3R | 8/33 | 20D, 13R | 33/99 | 41/132 | 31.1 |
Wyoming | 44 | 0D, 7R | 7/31 | 3D, 10R | 13/62 | 20/93 | 21.5 |
Note: 24 female legislators overall in Puerto Rico. Affiliations: 8 PNP, 11 PPD, 5 Third Party. [1]
Location | Rank | Senate | Senate ratio | House | House ratio | Overall ratio | Overall percent |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
American Samoa | 5 | 1Ind | 1/18 | 1 | 1/21 | 2/39 | 5.1 |
Guam | 1 | 4D, 2R | 6/15 | n/a | unicameral | 6/15 | 40.0 |
Northern Mariana Islands | 4 | 2D, 1Ind | 3/9 | 1D, 2I | 3/20 | 6/29 | 20.7 |
Puerto Rico | 3 | 13Ind | 13/27 | n/a | 11Ind | 24/78 | 30.8 |
U.S. Virgin Islands | 2 | 4D, 1Ind | 5/16 | n/a | unicameral | 5/16 | 31.3 |
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The first women to serve in any state legislature were Clara Cressingham, Carrie C. Holly and Frances S. Klock, who were all elected in 1894 to the Colorado State House of Representatives. [4] All three were elected the year after women in Colorado obtained the right to vote through popular election in 1893. [5] As Secretary of the House Republican Caucus, Cressingham was the first woman to fill a leadership position in an American legislature. [6] In 1896, Martha Hughes Cannon became the first woman elected to an upper body of a state legislature when she defeated her own husband, Angus M. Cannon, for a seat in the Utah State Senate. [7] [8]
The 50th state to see the debut of female state legislators in their lower house was Hawaii in 1959, who elected Dorothy Devereux and Eureka Forbes to their House of Representatives upon admittance to statehood. Alabama's Senate was the 50th upper house to welcome women when Ann Bedsole and Frances Strong joined the Senate in 1983. [9]
In 2016, the highest shares of female members of a state legislature - at least 35% per state legislature - were in Colorado (30/65 in the House, 12/35 in the Senate), Vermont (65/150 in the House, 9/30 in the Senate), and Arizona (19/60 in the House, 13/30 in the Senate). [10] The shares in Colorado and Vermont decreased to below 40% in 2017, while Arizona, Illinois, Nevada and Washington all saw their numbers increase up to between 35% and 39%. Altogether in 2017, women constitute 24.8% of all state legislators in the United States, [11] a ratio that has increased by less than 4 percentage points since 1994.
Only four chambers have reached a near or absolute majority of women:
Leadership positions at the state legislatures include senate presidents, presidents pro tempore, house speakers, majority and minority leaders of the senate and house. In 2023, women held leadership positions in 35 state senates and in 32 state houses, which corresponds to 26% of 350 positions. [21] 44 women (34D, 10R) serve in these leadership roles at State Senates and 47 (36D, 11R) serve at the State Houses. [21] Nine states (AL, IN, KY, MS, NE, SC, SD, TX, WY) have no women in leadership positions.
There are 10 (9D, 1R) women currently serving as the speakers of State Houses. [22]
Cathy Tilton (R-AK)
Julie McCluskie (D-CO)
Valerie Longhurst (D-DE)
Adrienne A. Jones (D-MD)
Rachel Talbot Ross (D-ME)
Melissa Hortman (D-MN)
Julie Fahey (D-OR)
Joanna McClinton (D-PA)
Jill Krowinski (D-VT)
Laurie Jinkins (D-WA)
There are 15 (11D, 4R) women currently serving as Presidents or Presidents Pro Tem of State Senates. [22]
Kathleen Passidomo (R-FL)
Michelle Kidani (D-HI)
Amy Sinclair (R-IA)
Regina Ashford Barrow (D-LA)
Karen Spilka (D-MA)
Ann H. Rest (D-MN)
Shirley Turner (D-NJ)
Mimi Stewart (D-NM)
Pat Spearman (D-NV)
Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-NY)
Kim L. Ward (R-PA)
Hanna M. Gallo (D-RI)
Louise Lucas (D-VA)
Karen Keiser (D-WA)
Donna J. Boley (R-WV)
According to the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), [23] 99 representatives identify as Asian American/Pacific Islander, 383 identify as Black, 192 identify as Latina, 14 identify as Middle Eastern/North African, 36 identify as Native American/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian, 3 identify as Multiracial Alone, and 1735 identify as white.
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the United States and its states from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex, in effect recognizing the right of women to vote. The amendment was the culmination of a decades-long movement for women's suffrage in the United States, at both the state and national levels, and was part of the worldwide movement towards women's suffrage and part of the wider women's rights movement. The first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878. However, a suffrage amendment did not pass the House of Representatives until May 21, 1919, which was quickly followed by the Senate, on June 4, 1919. It was then submitted to the states for ratification, achieving the requisite 36 ratifications to secure adoption, and thereby went into effect, on August 18, 1920. The Nineteenth Amendment's adoption was certified on August 26, 1920.
The Colorado General Assembly is the state legislature of the State of Colorado. It is a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and House of Representatives that was created by the 1876 state constitution. Its statutes are codified in the Colorado Revised Statutes (C.R.S.). The session laws are published in the Session Laws of Colorado.
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The Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) is a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Established in 1971, it is nationally and internationally recognized as the leading source of scholarly research and current data about U.S. women's political participation. Its mission is "to promote greater knowledge and understanding about women's participation in politics and government and to enhance women's influence and leadership in public life."
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Alma V. Short Lafferty was an American suffragist, clubwoman, and politician. She served two terms in the Colorado House of Representatives, from 1908 to 1912.
Caroline Clyde Holly was a U.S. politician in the state of Colorado.
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